Editor's note: This story has been updated with information obtained from the indictments and a response from the Skippers' attorneys.
KRIS 6 News has confirmed that two local attorneys, including an assistant San Patricio County attorney, were arrested and booked into the San Patricio County Jail on felony barratry charges before bonding out.
Allison Skipper and Shaun Scott Skipper posted $25,000 personal recognizance bonds before their release.
Grand jury indictments obtained by KRIS 6 News reveal that both attorneys are charged under a specific section of Texas barratry law that addresses solicitation schemes involving multiple parties.
Shaun and Allison Skipper turned themselves in to be processed when they learned of an indictment because they know the truth will soon come out. This case is 100% politically motivated. We anticipate when the facts are heard by the jury, the Skippers will be found not guilty and the truth of why these charges were brought will come to light. The Skipper family is supported by their local legal community because everyone who knows them knows these allegations are false. They continue to have faith in the legal system and know the truth will soon be revealed.
According to the indictments filed in San Patricio County, Allison Minton Skipper is accused of soliciting a prospective client by telephone on August 13, 2024, for legal representation in a family law matter on behalf of Shaun Scott Skipper. Shaun Scott Skipper is charged with knowingly accepting employment that resulted from that alleged solicitation.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 38.12(f), it is illegal for one person to solicit legal clients on behalf of an attorney, and it is also illegal for an attorney to accept employment obtained through such solicitation. The indictments state the alleged conduct "was not authorized by the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct or any rule of court."
Both charges are classified as third-degree felonies, which carry potential sentences of two to ten years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
According to State Bar of Texas records, Allison Skipper has been licensed to practice law in Texas since November 2008 and works as an attorney with the San Patricio County Attorney's Office in Sinton.
She graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law in May 2008 and specializes in criminal law.
Shaun Scott Skipper has been licensed since May 2006 and operates his own practice, Shaun S. Skipper, Attorney at Law, in Corpus Christi. He graduated from Baylor University School of Law in November 2005 and focuses on family and juvenile law.
Both attorneys show no prior public disciplinary history with the State Bar of Texas, according to their attorney profiles.
KRIS 6 News has reached out to the San Patricio County Attorney's Office for comment regarding Allison Skipper's employment status, including whether any office policies address criminal charges against staff attorneys, whether Skipper has been placed on administrative leave, if such leave is paid or unpaid.
The San Patricio County Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This story will be updated when a response is received.
